* Guardians of The Sacred Orb

[zepherion]

Mia gasped. "You can speak...normally?! Geez! You could've talked like that earlier, when we were flying? I seriously would've rather fell than, listen to anymore of that pirate talk." Mia crossed her arms. "Oh and we're not headed to any port. We're not merchants at all." Mia turned towards the other two pirates as they barged in.

Mia nodded at the ninja. "No problem. I actually don't have a very big problem with you guys...at least, probably not in comparison to my friends. Oh! My friends! They're probably worried sick about me!"

Mia turned to Katan. "When are you planning to bring me back? I don't want them doing anything drastic to find me."  

[NakhtiChaos]

Nakhti felt tiger wrap her arms around him. At the words of the kid though he stopped.

"And I suppose that a good guy would take a friend of two people and run off eh? A good man would tell people to give him thier money or thier lives? Last time i checked that was a cut throught, a thief, and a coward to boot."

Nakhti looked the little boy right into his eyes.

"You tell me why he deserves to live."

The boy had hidden behind his sister again terrified by the woman and now the cat man.

"Be-because he helped bury mama and papa..... a-and-"

The older sister finished for him not acting nearly as scared as her brother but still had the smell of fear on her.

"He helped rebuild a majority of the town."

Nakhti looked at the kids his anger falling rapidly as his mind flashed to visions of his own destroyed village then to the visions of what might have happened to his parents because he was sure they did not get buried.

"He is a hero then?............ How about we put him to the test........ you kids can come along. Your needed."

Nakhti began to walk to the edge of town again certain the kids would follow him with alot less argession then Natsu landed another kick on Nakhti but before a second one could land Natsu's sister stopped him.

"Lets follow him."  

[CainZeros]

Marcus recognised the chidren's names when he heard them. They were two of the children he had entertained while living in Ruby Village. Thinking perhaps a familiar face will make them more comfortable, Marcus draws back his hood. His shoulder length brown hair contrasted with his pale skin, but such was the affliction of most spellcasters, who spent more time studying spells than outside in the sun.  

[NakhtiChaos]

The girl and boy looked over at the one whom dropped his hood and gasped as they recognised him. Even though they were still following Nakhti they finally went quiet and stopped trying to hurt him. Kagumi whispered to her little brother and Natsu nodded in return as if they were trying to make out what was going on. Finally Nakhti stopped on the edge of town.

"They flew so I am assuming they traveled a great distance. For that we are gonna need help since we don't want to be worn out."

Nakhti removed his black leather jacket and shoved it into his bag of holding shifting it so he can now get to the green/silver potion he had left. Looking at his right arm there were several scars in straight uniform lines. Choseing a line Nakhti changed one finger to a claw and cut a scar open. Putting his hands on the ground Nakhti chanted low and fast.  

[Tiger Tales]

Tiger looks over to Marcus, then at the kids, and back again. "Hey Marcus, you happen to know these two? Or do you have some power over kids we don't know about." She moves away from Nakhti and re-adjusts her bones to normal. She moves away from the kids so she doesn't scare them as she changes into a spot-winged falconet and lands on Marcus's head. "Do what you wanna Nakhti."  

[CainZeros]

"I'm a local, remember?" Marcus' eyes turned upward as Ty landed on his head. "I used to entertain the children, before I ran of chasing rumors and got caught up with the rest of you in this mess. Then when I come back with you guys, well I'm sure you remember. The point is, I don't have any special power, they're just relieved to see a familliar face, especially one associated with good memories."  

[NakhtiChaos]

Nakhti's mumbleing came to a halt as the earth rumbled beneath him. Suddenly riseing up from the ground were five real live snow leapords each with a saddle upon wich one could sit. The two children jumped from seeing the leapords and ran to hide behind Marcus then peered out as the five leapords faced Nakhti. Altering his vocal coards Nakhti began to speak to the leapords in thier native language. After five minutes of this Nakhti bowed to the cats as the scar on his arm ceased bleeding.

"They have agreed to giveing us a ride to Mia. Anyone want to be the first to hop on?"

The two children grabbed Marcus tighter.  

[CainZeros]

"You go ahead," Marcus said. "I'll stay here and make sure the kids are alright, good chance to see if I've still got what it takes to please a crowd, small though it may be." He knew that the mention of this would cheer Natsu and Kagumi up, since they would know it would mean he'd be doing magic. When entertaining he always kept it simple, at least in his mind, nothing more than simple illusions mostly. The addition of his abilities as the guardian of darkness would add to his act quite nicely.  

[NakhtiChaos]

Natsu looked up to Marcus.

"You trust him not to hurt the good guy mister?"

Kagumi also wanted to know as she looked up Marcus. As the children spoke Nakhti mounted the lead snow leapord. Nakhti turned his head and called back. His eyes completely silver and glowing.

"If anyone wants to come just hop on we leave within five minutes."

Nakhti then began to tie his long hair back and out of the way useing his own hair to keep it out of his face.  

[Dartmoor]

"Yes, pirate speach can be rather grating. However, there are some things you can siphon just by how things are said. For example, a nobleman will not mask their arrogance nor change the way they talk, and thus are Highway Men, while the desperate begger will have a hidden weakness in their voice." She then handed Mia her sword back. "I'm Fukumi, and I note the fine details of our opponents."

"You didn't have to say any of that in my defense." Katan crossed his arms. "Just because your ancestry line is longer does not default leadership to you."

Without warning, the small summoner girl jumped onto Mia. "I'm Aitai! I have lotsa friends. Wanna meet dem all?"

Katan got up from his stool and grabbed the girl, pulling her off. "Now's not the time for showing off. There's still tomorrow to plan, and your gonna get the chance to bring out your friends then." He put her into a chair and lightly bopped her on the head with his hand. Aitai showed amusement at the whole situation by sticking out her tongue.

"Anyways, your friends shouldn't be able to do anything too drastic here. I figured we'll move over to one of the steeper slopes for the next fight. If that ice brat is smart, he'll realize that he gave me the choice of fields, and neglect that I don't even need land beneath my feet." Katan went back over to the stool again.

"Ahh... Suppers now ready." The old woman chirped in. She pulled the lamb off the fire and placed it on a serving platter. Bringing it over to the table, she took a carving knife and began to serve out the plates.

Fukumi went over to a small cutaway plank in the floor and brought out a bottle of wine that was hidden underneath. Pouring everyone a glass, including one extra, she smiled while performing the service. "Mia, I have a question for you. Have you and your friends trained for high altitude combat? I'm sure you've already noticed that your breathing harder because the air is thinner."  

[NakhtiChaos]

Natsu wormed away from his sister then slowly made his way leaving his question to Marcus unawnsered while Kagumi remained by Marcus. Natsu tugged on Nakhti's leg while being wary of the big cat.

"I'm coming with you mister. I don't want you to fight our hero but if he took you friend on accident I wanna help you get your friend back. You gotta make a promise though."

Nakhti sighed at the little kid looking with his glowing eyes.

"Yeah yeah what promise?"

The little boy looked up at Nakhti with almost tears in his eyes.

"Don't hurt Katan ok mister?"

Nakhti sighed. I'm going to regret this.

"Fine i tell you what. I solemly swear not to attack 'Katan' that weird ninja girl or the little girl with all the crazy monsters even if they attack me first ok?. As a bonus if he or his friends do not attack me I'll give you all the gold in my possesion. Ok?"

Natsu's eyes lit up.

"Realy mister?!"

Nakhti looked forward.

"I don't lie to children."

The five snow leapords formed and ice spell within thier mouths and shot then at the top ridge of the first mountains making the little boy jump as he clambered into the saddle with Nakhti. Its gonna be good to be back in the mountains........ it will be like visiting home again. The first spells were already halfway up the mountain while the leapords formed a second set of spells.

"Minute left!"  

[zepherion]

Mia smiled at the old woman as she served the lamb. Mia perked up a bit when she heard Fukumi's question. Mia hadn't really noticed. She just thought it was because she was still shocked from what had just happened. But then again, shock probably wouldn't last this long.

"Oh...well, I'm sure at least Ty could probably handle it but I'm not exactly sure about everyone else."  

[Tiger Tales]

Tiger jumps off of Marcus's head and frantically flaps for a few seconds before turning into a harpy (Not a stormwing this time) and using the airways to help catch up. "Geez, everyone is patient but the theif, I can't wait anymore!... When do we get to go somewhere tropical?"  

[NakhtiChaos]

Nakhti waited untill Tiger landed on the snow leapord and secured herself.

"Here we go!."

The previous fired ice spells hit the top of the mountain range as the five great snow leapords bounded forward leaving Kagumi and Marcus behind. Thirty feet out the snow leapords fired thier spells into the ground and jumped into the frozen ground coming out where the first ice spells hit on the top of the mountain range. The snow leapords landed on the ground and kept moving going down between the valley of the first mountain range and the second. Natsu gripped the animal tightly while he sat infront of Nakhti. Natsu noticed just then how far they moved.

"Wow."

Nakhti smiled at the kids awed voice. The snow leapords formed and yet another ice spell and fired it at the top of the next mountain range.  

[Dartmoor]

Katan smirked at the girl's response. If only one knew how to fight in his environment, then it was more the likely they'd lose to the pirates. Though after seeing only the one brat go full steam ahead, it seemed like teamwork wasn't in their vocabulary either. "Well then, aren't you the lucky ones. The untamable wind is gentle this year."

"But a terrible gale could always be just on the horizon." Fukumi added. She too sat down at the table now that the lamb was upon everyone's plates, along with an extra at a still unoccupied spot. Raising her cup only towards Katan, they made an exchange of words. "To our ancestors, and the clarity to know our memories from theirs."

Katan too had lifted his cup. "Aye. May their memories trickle only from behind the dam." In unison, they both took a swig of the wine in their cups.

Sitting down at last, the old woman looked happily upon her guests. "I don't quite understand it myself. Every meal they're saying the same thing. It's just so nice that they honor their lineage." She said to Mia. One empty place yet. "My husband should be home soon from tending the flock."